Knill: Bounce back at the Valley

Bury will be looking to get their automatic promotion charge back on track when they take on Rotherham at the Don Valley this weekend. Having collected just one win from their last seven games, the Shakers’ hopes of securing a top-three finish have stuttered in recent weeks.

OFF ... Ryan Lowe is given his marching orders at Macclesfield last Saturday where Bury lost 2-0.

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Bury will be looking to get their automatic promotion charge back on track when they take on Rotherham at the Don Valley this weekend.

Having collected just one win from their last seven games, the Shakers’ hopes of securing a top-three finish have stuttered in recent weeks.

But Saturday’s trip to Rotherham offers Alan Knill’s men the opportunity to boost their own ambitions while putting a dent in the Millers pursuit of promotion.

"At this stage of the season, with just nine games remaining, it’s doesn’t matter who you play," said Knill. "But the fact we are up against Rotherham, themselves going for promotion, makes it an eye-catching fixture.

"If we win this one, we can push ourselves clear of them and they will be thinking about getting the three points to go level with ourselves.

"The good thing for us is the fact we beat them at our place, so we know we can do it and we’ll go there looking for the win."

Bury will be without striker Ryan Lowe for the clash following his dismissal in the 2-0 defeat Macclesfield last weekend.

The Shakers’ cause was not helped when Lowe was sent off with the score at 1-0 to Macc. He was given his marching orders after a tussle in the box with Sean Hessey and will miss this weekend’s clash at the Don Valley, plus games against Aldershot and Notts County.

It’s a blow the team could have done without at the business end of the season and Lowe acknowledged his mistake this week by issuing an apology.

"Following my sending off on Saturday, I wish to apologise for my actions," he said via a statement on the club’s website. "I've let myself down, the team down and the supporters down but most of all I've let the manager down.

"The offence is not a part of my game and I must now sit out a three-match ban. Hopefully whoever takes my place in the team on Saturday can make up for this by getting on the score sheet."

Knill said his player was right to say sorry.

"Ryan has issued an apology and he’s probably right to do that for the fans, his team-mates, everyone," said Knill. "He got caught up in the incident and shouldn’t have done.

"Whether or not it was as bad as the referee interpreted is open to debate, but Ryan knows he shouldn’t have allowed himself to get caught up in it.

"The sending off didn’t help us but even with 10 men I felt we were capable of producing better. I don’t think it was a case of the lads getting caught up in the emotion of the day, we just didn’t do enough."

Andy Morrell is likely to take Lowe’s place alongside Andy Bishop in the Bury attack while skipper Stephen Dawson, who missed the Macclesfield defeat to attend a family funeral, will return to the starting line up.

"Stephen is a big player for us, a real influence on the other players, and having him back is a big positive," added Knill